


where we began

by mulkki



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Boys Are Dumb, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 09:25:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8885557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mulkki/pseuds/mulkki
Summary: Momo is sweet, Yuki is dumb, and Banri is savage.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tawnyPort](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tawnyPort/gifts).



_From: Ban_

_Congratulations again, Yuki, it was a great concert. I’m glad to see Momo-kun back in high spirits, too._

 

Yuki stares at the text on the screen. He can hear Ban’s voice behind every word, the pitch and nuances still familiar after five years.

He leans back, sinking into his pillows as he lets the phone fall in front of him. There’s a certain shadowed spot on his bedroom ceiling, and his eyes make their way to the familiar shape, tracing invisible lines along the way. _Five years,_ he thinks to it. _Five whole years._

The ceiling remains silent and eventually the light from his phone fades, leaving him in the dark to continue staring up. His mind traces, in the silent air, familiar landmarks: lattices of cracks, stains from leaky upstairs neighbors, hastily cobbled-together patches--first by Ban, then by Momo.

His phone lights up again. The new message notification sends the cracks away, and the ceiling returns to its spotless state.  
  
  
_From: Ban_

_Also, you’re an idiot. Take care of him._

 

Yuki’s mouth unconsciously tugs into a smile--he can even hear the scolding in Ban’s voice. His fingers tap out a reply.  
  
  
_To: Ban_

_Let’s get lunch sometime. We should catch up._

 

The reply is almost instant.  
  
  
_From: Ban_

_I’m not that full of free time, Yuki. And before that, shouldn’t you take care of things on your end?_

 

_To: Ban_

_Momo would love it, too._

 

As he hits “send” Momo shifts next to him, long since fast asleep. He must be having a nice dream--he’s curling up against Yuki’s side now, and Yuki can see the smile on his dreaming face.

There’s already a reply on the screen when he turns back. He reads on, fingers still lingering around Momo’s soft curls.  
  
  
_From: Ban_

_I can do lunch tomorrow around noon. What kind of food does Momo-kun like?_

 

_To: Ban_

_Noon sounds good. Let’s do the cafe near the south exit from your station._

 

He smiles at Ban’s quick reply, and sets his phone aside to sink into sleep. As his eyes close he feels Momo’s arms wrap around his, and he leans into the touch. 

\------

“Oh, there he is--Ban-san! Over here!” Momo waves, but not too wildly; his excitement clashes with the need to hide behind glasses and hats, and Banri makes haste to walk over quickly so Momo can sit back down.

“Thanks for inviting me, Momo-kun,” he says, as he sits down across the table from them. It’s a little… _new_ , to see them like this; up close and without the celebrity styling and stage costumes between them. He catches himself at the thought, and he has to stop and laugh at himself, silently--it’s a thought like an ordinarily starstruck fan, and he shakes his head at the comparison between such a thought and his own memories: Yuki’s first awkward home hair dye-job. Their first cobbled-together stage outfits. Salvaging Ban’s guitar strap with endless safety pins and patches of rags.

“Ban, you’re smiling so much… that’s rare.” Yuki’s voice snaps him out of his memories, and he lifts a hand to his own face in surprise.

Banri shakes his head, chuckling. “Oh, it’s nothing.” He turns to Momo. “It’s just nice to see you, Momo-kun.”

“And what about me?”

“I’ve seen your mug enough times, it’s nothing new.”

“Aww, but Yuki’s so handsome! Ban-san, don’t you think so?” Momo breaks into their banter, eyes shining like a puppy. It’s too cute, and Banri wants to throw him a bone.

“Yeah, he’s got a pretty face.” Banri smiles at Momo, as more old memories resurface. “But the owner is so useless, can you believe it? Especially when he starts staring up into space, he used to do that all the time when we lived together--”

“--Oh, I know what you’re talking about, Ban-san! Yuki stares up into space all the time, and blanks out--” He looks at Yuki, who makes a face at Banri. “--ah, but that Yuki is still handsome, too! You look great lounging around in a bathrobe with your wine like that, Yuki! Oh, but Yuki looks great in anything--”

“--Hold on, can we stop talking about how much I stare off into space? Also, I do not do it that much--”

“--You absolutely do,” Banri and Momo reply, in unison. They stop, and look at each other.

Banri pats Momo’s hands in mock condolence. “Momo-kun. You’ve really worked hard until now. Thank you for taking care of this Yuki. I know he’s not always the most helpful around the house, but--”

“--Wait, hold it. What’s with this mother-in-law act going on here?”

“I can’t help it if the daughter-in-law is a blockhead.”

“I don’t recall you being my mother in the first place.”

“I happen to recall coming to pick you up from the police station--”

“-- _Pfft_.”

 

Yuki and Banri both stop and turn, facing a Momo who has all but given up holding in his amusement. His bright voice breaks out, from a low chuckle to outright noisy laughter, twinkling in the air like music between the three of them. It’s clear and refreshing in the warm noon sun, and as their bickering stops Banri’s heart swells a little-- _imagine if this voice were kept silent,_ he thinks. He catches Yuki’s expression, and sees he thinks the same; his annoyed expression at Banri has melted into relief, his eyes losing their wrinkle around the edges as his shoulders unconsciously relax.

“Well, ‘Mother’--I gratefully accept this lovely Yuki!” Momo takes Yuki’s hand, their rings meeting with a gentle _clink_. “I promise to make Yuki happy, and make him fall in love with me as many times as it takes!”

Banri unconsciously smiles and nods, still in the warm embrace of the cheery air around them. It takes a while for the meaning of Momo’s words to reach, and once it does he nearly knocks over the glass in front of him.

“Wait, what?” He turns to Yuki, then to Momo.

Momo sighs, laying a hand over his forehead dramatically. “It was so hard, you know, Ban-san... getting Yuki to say yes to us joining forces… and even harder to get him to fall for me! As expected of a handsome man, they sure don’t fall easily!”

Banri looks at Yuki, who starts a little under his scrutiny. He turns back to Momo. “You… had to make _him_... fall for _you_.”

Momo nods, enthusiastic to share his past efforts. “It wasn’t easy! But when we started working together I really fell for the hardworking Yuki! So handsome, but he still put all his heart into making music true to his beliefs. No matter what was thrown his way he maintained his poise, never backing down--at the time I really respected him!” He blushes a little, fidgeting in his seat. “And it kind of...made me fall for him. I really love that part about Yuki--his music is really passionate, even though he’s usually so cool and looks detached. But he…” Here Momo stops, and blushes to his ears. “...really cares a lot.”

Banri resists the urge to kick Yuki’s knees below the table, and settles for scolding him through text later. Instead, he pats Momo’s shoulders. “Momo-kun, you’re a good boy.” He looks straight at Yuki, who immediately turns away to avoid meeting eyes. “But you’re a little wrong, there. Actually, you’re very wrong, but that’s not your fault--since _someone here is a giant idiot_.”

Momo looks right into Banri’s eyes, genuine confusion in those puppy-dog eyes. Banri ignores the feeling of something tugging in his heart, and instead smiles as Yuki visibly flinches and hides behind his hand--his usual bad habit when cornered. “Yuki, don’t you want to explain?”

Yuki looks out the window. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Banri doesn’t spare him the kick this time. “Oh, you know. Also: you’re an idiot, and Momo-kun is a saint for putting up with you.”

 

***

(some years ago)  
\-------

"Hey, did you see?"

"Who?"

"That kid. He's here again." Ban eyes him, hands winding the pegs on his guitar--that he tuned ten minutes ago, hmm.

Yuki dismisses it and feigns nonchalance--he's not giving Ban that satisfaction.

"Did Satoshi-san bring his nephew again? That small quiet one?"

Ban experimentally plucks a string, and raises a brow; it’s a little too much, the E-string rings sharp. "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

Yuki goes back to looking at their sheet music. "I really don't."

Ban shrugs, winding and unwinding the peg until the E sounds just right. "Sure, sure. But just letting you know, there's a lot of girls gathering around him tonight.” He stops, just in time to catch Yuki dropping his sheet music. “By the way, is it _really_ that rare for us to have male fans?"

Yuki bends over to pick up the pages he dropped, taking his time shuffling the pages to conveniently hide his features. "That was an accident,” Yuki replies, raising his voice in defense to the sly smile creeping across Ban’s face. He can’t see it, but he knows it’s there. “And I still have no idea what you're talking about." He composes his facial features before getting up and dusting off the sheet music.

Ban shrugs and moves on to the next peg. "Suit yourself. But there's a cute girl who's coming on real strong tonight… Hmm, I wonder what Momo-kun's type is?"

_Long hair, pretty face_ \--Yuki’s mind supplies the answer, completely unbidden. He remembers a time they went out for drinks, and the endless questions of _Yuki-san, Yuki-san, what's your favorite food? Favorite color? Where'd you grow up? Any favorite bands, lately? What's your type--_

_\---_

_The last one he was stubbornly quiet on, not budging until Momo offered up his type._

_"Long hair, and pretty face. Oh, and of course, a gentle personality! Someone with...hmm..." Momo stopped, cocking his head to the side. His eyes then lit up. "_ Grace! _Yeah, that's the word. Someone with grace."_

_“Sounds like you’re into real beauties, Momo-kun!” Ban slapped his back. “I’m sure with that cute face of yours, you could catch anyone.”_

_“Aww, geez, Ban-san…” Momo blew bubbles into his glass, hiding his embarrassment behind his drink._

_Ban nudged Yuki’s side. “Well then, go on--what’s your type, Yuki? Momo told, so it’s only fair that you do.”_

_“What kind of rule is that?”_

_“It’s called human courtesy.”_

_“I’ve never heard of it.”_

_“It’s an integral part of life,“ Ban said, reaching over and flicking Yuki’s forehead. “Just accept it, and out with it already.”_

_Yuki sighed, a touch of dramatic flair directed entirely at Ban. "Someone cute...and friendly. Energetic, I guess... but maybe not too much." He gave a sideways glance at Momo, fingers tracing the rim of his almost-empty glass. "And hmm...Fluffy, maybe."_

_Momo paused, then laughed. "Yuki-san, please! That sounds like you're describing a pet!"_

_Yuki chuckled. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm the kind of person who likes keeping a pet."_

_Momo perks up at that. "Pet? Huh... Yuki-san, do you have a pet?"_

_"No, why?"_

_"Well, you just. You just mentioned liking keeping pets."_

_Yuki rested his chin on his hands, staring up at the low wooden ceiling of the bar. "Hmm, I guess I like the idea of having a pet. But I think I'd be a terrible pet owner."_

_"Aw, Yuki-san!” Momo slapped his shoulder, an echo of Ban’s actions earlier. “I'm sure you'd be fine. You're good at everything, after all!"_

_"Not at all! Have you even seen him in the kitchen?” Ban clapped a hand on Yuki’s shoulder--perhaps a little too heavily, weighted with the memory of too many ruined ingredients. “I didn’t even know someone could ruin rice_ that _badly--"_  
  
\---

He's snapped out of his memories by Ban, waving a page he missed. "Yuki, you're being petty."

Yuki snatches the sheet out of his face. "Who said anything about pets?"

Ban genuinely looks confused. "Wait, pets? Where?"

Yuki’s hand flies up to his face, and he hides behind it as he turns around to the curtains before Ban can see his reddening face. "Nothing, okay. Come on, it's almost our turn."

Ban slings his guitar across his shoulder and follows him. "’Okay--but seriously, what's this about pets?”

**Author's Note:**

> dear recipient: hope you enjoyed this fic! it was my first time participating in Yuletide, and i'm happy to have gotten a fun prompt with characters I love to pieces. hope your holiday season is wonderful!


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